Question: Touch Test – how do they respond with their antenna is touched?
Hypothesis: They will not enjoy being touched and will escape.
Exploration Phase: Each worm was touched by a qtip or pen on the antenna. While we initially hypothesized that all the mealworms would react negatively by recoiling or backing away, 9 of the 11 mealworms supported our hypothesis while 2 of the 11 mealworms did not support our hypothesis.
Kim's mealworms: Salt moved backward, recoiled and flinched while Peppa did not react. Peppa, contrary to our hypothesis allowed itself to be poked and showed no reaction to being touched by the pen on the antenna.
Matt's mealworms: Andre the Giant did not enjoy being touched by a qtip and quickly backed away. Coco Beware and Sergeant Slaughter reacted in much the same way when being touched on the antenna with the tip of a pen.
Khaled's mealworms: Cranky and Jim Jim both flinched and backed away when prodded with a qtip.
Margaret's mealworms: Ruff backed away and tried to escape being touched by the qtip. Tumble however, did not react the way we initially hypothesized. Tumble raised it's head towards the qtip when touched, it did not make any indication that the touch was undesirable.
Chelsea's mealworms: Fitch backed up rather quickly and wriggled away. Abercrombie's legs wiggled when its antenna was touched and recoiled.
Hypothesis: They will not enjoy being touched and will escape.
Exploration Phase: Each worm was touched by a qtip or pen on the antenna. While we initially hypothesized that all the mealworms would react negatively by recoiling or backing away, 9 of the 11 mealworms supported our hypothesis while 2 of the 11 mealworms did not support our hypothesis.
Kim's mealworms: Salt moved backward, recoiled and flinched while Peppa did not react. Peppa, contrary to our hypothesis allowed itself to be poked and showed no reaction to being touched by the pen on the antenna.
Matt's mealworms: Andre the Giant did not enjoy being touched by a qtip and quickly backed away. Coco Beware and Sergeant Slaughter reacted in much the same way when being touched on the antenna with the tip of a pen.
Khaled's mealworms: Cranky and Jim Jim both flinched and backed away when prodded with a qtip.
Margaret's mealworms: Ruff backed away and tried to escape being touched by the qtip. Tumble however, did not react the way we initially hypothesized. Tumble raised it's head towards the qtip when touched, it did not make any indication that the touch was undesirable.
Chelsea's mealworms: Fitch backed up rather quickly and wriggled away. Abercrombie's legs wiggled when its antenna was touched and recoiled.